Easy Stroganoff

This easy beef stroganoff swaps the traditional sirloin strips for ground beef, making it faster, cheaper, and just as satisfying spooned over a pile of hot egg noodles.

Brown the beef and onion together, drain the fat, then sprinkle flour over the meat and stir it in for a minute. That quick roux-in-the-pan step thickens the sauce from the start. Cream of mushroom soup goes in next and simmers for 10 minutes, building a creamy, savory base with canned mushrooms.

Sour cream gets stirred in at the very end, off the heat or over very low flame. This is critical. If sour cream boils, it curdles and the sauce turns grainy. Just heat it through gently and you’ll have that signature tangy, silky stroganoff sauce.

The whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes, most of it hands-off simmering.

Kitchen Tips

• Crumble the ground beef into small pieces while browning for a smoother sauce
• Drain the fat well after browning so the sauce isn’t greasy
• Add the sour cream off the heat or on the lowest setting to prevent curdling
• Serve over wide egg noodles, not thin pasta, so they hold the sauce

Variations

• Use ground turkey for a lighter version
• Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce with the mushroom soup for more depth
• Stir in fresh sliced mushrooms alongside the canned ones for better texture